A White Referee Made a Black High School Student Cut His Locs In Order to Compete in a Wrestling Match

A viral video showing a black high school student reluctantly getting his locs cut short at a wrestling match has led to widespread condemnation of the referee who demanded the haircut and an investigation into the incident.

Posted to Twitter on Thursday by SNJ Today News sports director Mike Frankel, the video shows a Buena Regional High School student and wrestling team member standing in the gym as an unidentified woman cuts his locs to a much shorter length. In a caption Frankel has since admitted was naively worded, he wrote, "Epitome of a team player ⬇️ A referee wouldn't allow [this student] of Buena @brhschiefs to wrestle with a cover over his dreadlocks. It was either an impromptu haircut, or a forfeit. Johnson chose the haircut, then won by sudden victory in OT to help spark Buena to a win." (Allure has decided not to include the tweet in this article due to the inclusion of the minor’s name.)

The incident sparked outrage as it quickly gained views. "Disgraceful, racist behavior by the referee," one reply reads — and it's a sentiment echoed by many, including the ACLU of New Jersey, which tweeted, "No-loc bans are designed to oppress and shame Black people not just for expressing Blackness, but for their Blackness. They have no place in our society and certainly not in our schools. Until we can abolish these discriminatory practices and norms, we are all complicit."

Another stunned Twitter user wrote, "No no no ... this wrong on so many levels. That poor boy has just been racially targeted and humiliated. His coach should have pulled the whole team out. The official should be banned for life."

The official in question is referee Alan Maloney, who had previously been accused of racist behavior two years ago. According to New Jersey's Courier-Post, Maloney hurled a racial epithet at a fellow referee who is black. This 2016 incident reportedly resulted in Maloney having to attend sensitivity training and being suspended from officiating for a year.

And now, Maloney's actions have gotten him suspended again, at least while the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association investigates the incident. "Regulations regarding hair length and legal hair covers for wrestlers are provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations," reads a statement from the NJSIAA, which says it has been in direct contact with school officials. "At this point, the NJSIAA is working to determine the exact nature of the incident and whether an infraction occurred."

The New York Times reports that the National Federation of State High School Associations' rule book says that hair "must not fall below the back of a shirt collar, the earlobes or eye brows"; however, wrestlers with long hair are permitted to wear a hair covering, reportedly like the one the student was wearing before being told by Maloney that it wasn't sufficient and that his hair violated the rules. The Times also spoke to another local referee who said it was uncommon for referees to make calls like this.

According to Frankel, "The wrestler's coaches argued the referee's decision for several minutes, until the referee started the injury time clock. At this point, the wrestler removed his cap and agreed to have his hair cut." However, despite the clearly stressful — and now widely denounced — haircut, the student went on to win his match.